STAND UP

This must be Jethro Tull's moodiest and most heartfelt album. It's not a progressive rock album by any definition but it has a lot of original and adventurous elements. Besides, Ian Anderson's impeccable song writing combined with the passion of this performance makes this my all-time favourite classic rock album.

I had come to know Jethro Tull through Thick as a Brick so this album came as quite a surprise. The difference in approach between both works (with just three years and two albums in between them) is amazing. But with songs rarely over 4 minutes and a sound still strongly rooted into blues, there's at first sight little reasons to defend it as a prog masterpiece.

Be not mistaken though. The year is 1969 and in the way of pushing rock's boundaries this album scores very high indeed. The simple blues rock of the debut is enriched with influences from classical music and folk and in doing so Jethro Tull achieved a sound you're not likely to find on albums preceding it.

Besides, all songs are perfect and very different in approach, rhythm, melody and instrumentation, nicely balancing between the dark and the playful, between heaviness and romantic lyricism. And such richness in quality and variation can of course only be found on a prog album. Right?